54 AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 
I do not advocate absolute copyism of American methods in this regard ; 
but I do think, however, that much may be adopted without conflicting with 
the working ideals of Australia, and with considerable advantage to the State. 
A feature of the American lumber industry is the seasoning process, 
through which a great deal of the timber passes. I visited some of the large 
creosote plants in Seattle. 
It has been the view of the Australian timber-getter that timber which 
requires seasoning is a very poor thing indeed. This view arises from the 
remarkable durability of some of our hardwoods, which néed no seasoning. 
At the same time there are very many of our timbers at present condemned 
as inferior or useless, which, if subjected to a legitimate seasoning process 
would be far more useful than the treated timber of America, and would take 
the place very largely of the softwoods we are compelled otherwise to import. 
It is a matter for consideration whether seasoning plants should not be 
‘established in connection with the projected State sawmills. 
Ancther feature of the American timber industry is the grading of lumber. 
The following grades are recognised— 
A Select No. 1 Common. 
B Select No. 2 Common. 
C Select No. 3 Common. 
D Select No. 4 Common. 
No. 5 Common. 
Culls. 
The better grading of our own timber is a very desirable thing. It is a 
function of a business forestry department to encourage such a measure. 
Cuapter IV. 
FOREST FIRES. 
PROTECTION PLANS. 
American forests are subject, by reason of their magnitude, configuration, 
and inflammability, their relative inaccessibility, and the sparsity of the local 
population, to fierce fire ravage. 
One who has not seen the sheer wooded steeps of inflammable pine forests 
of the United States of America can have but a vague idea of their extreme 
liability to destruction by fire. 
Approximately 10,000,000 acres of forest have been burnt over annually, 
and 12,000,000,000 board feet of timber destroyed. 
The average loss every vear has been nearly £5,000,000 worth of lumber, 
and close on seventy human lives. 
In view of these facts, it is not surprising to discover that fire protection 
is the backbone of American forest policy, and the prime cause of its tremendous 
development. Fire protection proved to be the first and foremost need: and 
the organisation of the National Forests, the rapid construction of roads, trails, 
and telephones, and the building of rangers’ cabins in hitherto inaccessible 
mountains are the immediate outcome of pressing demands for fire control. 
